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Otago Daily Times
19-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Let's hear it for Hampden, where it's all happening
The Hampden Hotel in 1906. PHOTO: TE PAPA Twice lately there have been headlines about happenings in Hampden. It won't surprise regular users of State Highway 1 that the three different speed limits within the settlement are the current gripe. But having a long stretch of the main road bisecting the township has been noted since the early days. Lawrence Stuart, who died in Dunedin in 1922, had been in Hampden in the 1860s and recalled: "The population then was mostly employed sawing; timber, splitting posts and rails for fencing, harvesting and shearing. There were no streets formed in my time; the Main Road went right through the township." Locals today are asking for just two different speed limits, and lower ones, to make things safer. As the saying goes, "Watch this space." The other story, dear to my heart as a hotel history buff, was the news that the Hampden Tavern is for sale. I called in there not long ago while my minder went shopping at the supermarket (surely the most impressive emporium of any small town) and discovered a cache of historic photos on the bar wall. That was enough to call for a second drink and a bit of note taking. The hotel opened with a bush licence in 1861, making it one of the oldest pubs in Otago. That was the year part of the local sheep run established by Peter Williams in 1854 was opened up for closer settlement. Already on the scene was Englishman William Murcott, who had arrived in 1860 and immediately saw the potential for a hotel. He arranged for his brother Henry, later the Hampden butcher, to buy equipment for the pub in the United States on his way out from England. William ran the pub for 15 years and during Hampden's days as a borough (New Zealand's third smallest after Naseby and Arrowtown) he served as mayor three times. The other pub, the Clyde Hotel, was refused a licence in 1903 and burned down in 1906. The Hampden Hotel prospered as the Cobb & Co coaches changed horses there. When the main trunk railway was completed in the 1870s the beaches at Hampden and Moeraki, which were noted for safe bathing, became favourite holiday drawcards affected only briefly by the shark attack at Moeraki in 1907 which killed prominent Dunedin civil engineer William Hutchinson. In 1876, JW Fisher took over the Hampden Hotel with a grand opening ball and supper when, as usual in those days, "festivities were kept up till a very early hour in the morning". There's a fine sketch in the archives by railway surveyor Joseph Sandell showing Hampden in 1876 with the Hampden Hotel in the middle of what was already a stretched-out settlement. Lawrence Stuart's recollections confirm it was a busy place: "There were 27 dwelling houses; two hotels, Clyde Hotel (John Prosser) and Hampden Hotel (William Murcott); two blacksmiths' shops (William Stewart and Andrew Watson); two general stores (John Young and William Kirby); two butchers' shops (Thomas Watkins and Henry Murcott); one bakery (John Young and William Livingston); one clothier and fancy goods' shop; one Presbyterian Church and manse (Rev James Baird); one police camp (one mounted constable); one Drill Hall; one library; one school and schoolmaster's residence (Donald Munro); carpenters (William Spiers, Arch Weir, John Presland;) and doctor William Hayne. Approximate population, 130." Add to this a mini gold rush at Moeraki and Hampden beach in the 1860s which saw up to 40 men working the sands. Eventually the Hampden Hotel had 20 rooms, a billiard room, a garden and three acres of land. Many licensees held the pub and very seldom did they appear in court, although in 1879 James Watters was fined 10 shillings for permitting gambling. George Marshall was the publican in 1906 when the accompanying photo was taken but in 1905 the Oamaru electorate had voted to go "dry" and, in 1909, the hotel lost its liquor licence. It continued to be a popular private hotel for holidaymakers, especially during Emily Horner's time up to 1920. In 1913 she had to sort out a visit by a mare and foal which came through the front door and made their way to the dentist's room, which was a permanent fixture in the hotel. Holiday traffic decreased and during World War 2 the hotel and attached store were on the market but there is no report of a sale. The building lingered on until the Oamaru Licensing Trust built today's Hampden Tavern. Another licensing trust build, Waikouaiti's Golden Fleece (founded in 1863), is also for sale and that gem among country pubs, the Waipiata Hotel, has just been sold, but their stories are for another time. In the meantime, let's hope the Hampden locals get the speed limits they want, and the tavern continues to be one of Otago's oldest country pubs. — Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.
Otago Daily Times
19-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Let's hear it for Hampden, where it's all happening apace
The Hampden Hotel in 1906. PHOTO: TE PAPA Twice lately there have been headlines about happenings in Hampden. It won't surprise regular users of State Highway 1 that the three different speed limits within the settlement are the current gripe. But having a long stretch of the main road bisecting the township has been noted since the early days. Lawrence Stuart, who died in Dunedin in 1922, had been in Hampden in the 1860s and recalled: "The population then was mostly employed sawing; timber, splitting posts and rails for fencing, harvesting and shearing. There were no streets formed in my time; the Main Road went right through the township." Locals today are asking for just two different speed limits, and lower ones, to make things safer. As the saying goes, "Watch this space." The other story, dear to my heart as a hotel history buff, was the news that the Hampden Tavern is for sale. I called in there not long ago while my minder went shopping at the supermarket (surely the most impressive emporium of any small town) and discovered a cache of historic photos on the bar wall. That was enough to call for a second drink and a bit of note taking. The hotel opened with a bush licence in 1861, making it one of the oldest pubs in Otago. That was the year part of the local sheep run established by Peter Williams in 1854 was opened up for closer settlement. Already on the scene was Englishman William Murcott, who had arrived in 1860 and immediately saw the potential for a hotel. He arranged for his brother Henry, later the Hampden butcher, to buy equipment for the pub in the United States on his way out from England. William ran the pub for 15 years and during Hampden's days as a borough (New Zealand's third smallest after Naseby and Arrowtown) he served as mayor three times. The other pub, the Clyde Hotel, was refused a licence in 1903 and burned down in 1906. The Hampden Hotel prospered as the Cobb & Co coaches changed horses there. When the main trunk railway was completed in the 1870s the beaches at Hampden and Moeraki, which were noted for safe bathing, became favourite holiday drawcards affected only briefly by the shark attack at Moeraki in 1907 which killed prominent Dunedin civil engineer William Hutchinson. In 1876, JW Fisher took over the Hampden Hotel with a grand opening ball and supper when, as usual in those days, "festivities were kept up till a very early hour in the morning". There's a fine sketch in the archives by railway surveyor Joseph Sandell showing Hampden in 1876 with the Hampden Hotel in the middle of what was already a stretched-out settlement. Lawrence Stuart's recollections confirm it was a busy place: "There were 27 dwelling houses; two hotels, Clyde Hotel (John Prosser) and Hampden Hotel (William Murcott); two blacksmiths' shops (William Stewart and Andrew Watson); two general stores (John Young and William Kirby); two butchers' shops (Thomas Watkins and Henry Murcott); one bakery (John Young and William Livingston); one clothier and fancy goods' shop; one Presbyterian Church and manse (Rev James Baird); one police camp (one mounted constable); one Drill Hall; one library; one school and schoolmaster's residence (Donald Munro); carpenters (William Spiers, Arch Weir, John Presland;) and doctor William Hayne. Approximate population, 130." Add to this a mini gold rush at Moeraki and Hampden beach in the 1860s which saw up to 40 men working the sands. Eventually the Hampden Hotel had 20 rooms, a billiard room, a garden and three acres of land. Many licensees held the pub and very seldom did they appear in court, although in 1879 James Watters was fined 10 shillings for permitting gambling. George Marshall was the publican in 1906 when the accompanying photo was taken but in 1905 the Oamaru electorate had voted to go "dry" and, in 1909, the hotel lost its liquor licence. It continued to be a popular private hotel for holidaymakers, especially during Emily Horner's time up to 1920. In 1913 she had to sort out a visit by a mare and foal which came through the front door and made their way to the dentist's room, which was a permanent fixture in the hotel. Holiday traffic decreased and during World War 2 the hotel and attached store were on the market but there is no report of a sale. The building lingered on until the Oamaru Licensing Trust built today's Hampden Tavern. Another licensing trust build, Waikouaiti's Golden Fleece (founded in 1863), is also for sale and that gem among country pubs, the Waipiata Hotel, has just been sold, but their stories are for another time. In the meantime, let's hope the Hampden locals get the speed limits they want, and the tavern continues to be one of Otago's oldest country pubs. — Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Summit promotes interstate collaboration for Route 66 Centennial
Apr. 27—Representatives of Route 66-related organizations from all eight states along the route came together in Albuquerque on Friday to foster collaboration in advance of the Route 66 Centennial in 2026. The U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission hosted its first Mother Road Consortium Summit at the Clyde Hotel in Downtown for a day of panel discussions and networking. Rhys Martin, manager of the Preserve Route 66 Initiative for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, as well as the president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, said he was pleasantly surprised to see how aligned the various groups appeared to be in terms of their vision. "You have tourism organizations and historic associations and elected officials in each of the eight states, and we all appear to be swimming in the same direction," he said. "We all want to get to the same place, and that really helps, because otherwise it would be something where people are competing for travel tourism, sales tax, and that sort of thing. But from what we've heard today, everybody is of the same mind, and we're all just looking forward to collaborating as much as possible." New Mexico's Route 66 Centennial Commission Chairman Bill Lee said he's excited about cross-state collaborations. "When we first started talking about this (the Route 66 Centennial), we were like, 'How do we make New Mexico shine? How do we make it the shining example of all the states along the route?' We wanted to win, to be the biggest and brightest star," Lee said. "And while I think that's still an admirable goal, it's nice to look out across the other eight states and realize that together we're stronger, and a rising tide raises all ships." Several presenters acknowledged the current uncertainty in the global economy, but Lee said he was optimistic that international travel will remain robust for Route 66's centennial year. "There has been a lot of talk recently about international travelers canceling trips or not being likely to come due to the political climate, tariffs and all that," Lee said. "But I can tell you, in our community (Gallup), that's not what we're seeing. In fact, our international travel is up. And I'm attributing that to Route 66." Acting Secretary for the New Mexico Tourism Department Lancing Adams said he was heartened by the level of support from politicians across all eight states. "It was really great to have the lieutenant governor of Oklahoma here, along with Mayor Tim Keller and Lt. Gov. Howie Morales this morning, speaking on their support. This was a big deal," Adams said. "No other state has done this, in terms of bringing everybody together." Like many participants, Adams said Friday's summit was an excellent way to connect with potential partners for future interstate projects. "We've worked with Texas on a Texas — New Mexico itinerary, and we're looking to do that with Arizona and our other sister states," he said. Brian Brown traveled from Oklahoma City for the summit. Brown directs the Route 66 Centennial Monument Project, which hopes to place 16-foot-tall steel sculptures, modeled on the old shield-shaped Route 66 highway signs, at various locations across the route. The sculptures were designed by VOX Industries in collaboration with public artist Stan Carroll. The goal of the Monument Project is to create a repeatable wayfinding landmark "that is consistent across the route," Brown said. Madison Garay, Visit Albuquerque Route 66 marketing specialist, said she was "excited about the historic preservation initiatives across all eight states." At the same time, she said she hoped the attention being paid to preserving iconic architecture and signage along Route 66 would not come at the expense of more prosaic but equally important buildings. "Certain community centers and gathering places that have historic significance to all sorts of diverse communities tend to get overlooked if they're not considered artistically dynamic enough," Garay said. "Of course, here, we're really focusing on keeping the heritage corridor preserved — which means mid-century modern architecture, primarily — but there are many more buildings that are maybe not as flamboyant and 'Googie' and fun, which are still just as important to the story of the highway." Route 66 is more than just milkshakes and Cadillacs, Martin said. "Every small town has its own story," he said.
